Tone library / Judas priest / Painkiller

Painkiller amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

The Judas priest guitar tone for “Painkiller”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 50 MkII with a Gibson Les Paul Classic. Studio version, Painkiller (1990)

Original rig

Marshall JCM800 2203/2204 + Marshall 1960B 4x12 cabs, custom boost / Boss OD, Hamer Mini V & Gibson SG with active EMG/DiMarzio humbuckers

Aggressive, razor-sharp British high-gain thrash rhythm with biting upper mids and tight low-end tracking

Amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

CHANNELBrown amp typeBOOSTon

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	5
Mid	7
Treble	8
Reverb	1
Master	5

Don’t have a Boss Katana 50 MkII? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Onboard Booster (Screamer / OD model)

Engage the Katana onboard Booster button (set to Green/Screamer in Tone Studio) to tighten the bass and replicate the front-end overdrive push on Glenn Tipton's JCM800.

Drive 0 · Tone 7 · Bottom 4 · Effect Level 8

Why these settings

The Katana 50 MkII's Brown amp type delivers the hot-rodded Marshall upper-mid bite required for Painkiller. Engaging the Katana's onboard Screamer-style booster with zero drive and high level tightens the low-end flub and mimics the active pickup and pedal front-end push into the amp. The Katana 50 faceplate physically lacks a presence knob, so treble is pushed to 8 to supply the razor-sharp pick attack.

PRO TIPAnchor your picking hand firmly near the bridge saddles for aggressive, mechanical alternate picking and pick with a stiff (1.14mm+) plectrum angled slightly forward to slice through each 16th-note gallop.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Boss Katana 50 MkII. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play

More tones for the Boss Katana 50 MkII

You should probably leaveChris Stapleton I got betterMorgan Wallen Memory sure don't mess aroundJordan Davis GoosePolyphia Stairway to Heaven (Live)Led Zeppelin Dead Girl WalkingCarrie Hope Fletcher & Jamie Muscato

Find your amp

Browse

Boss Katana 50 MkII settingsALL SONGS FOR THIS AMP Painkiller on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Judas priest tonesALL SONGS Judas priest on the Boss Katana 50 MkIISAME ARTIST, SAME AMP Gibson Les Paul Classic tonesSAME GUITAR Tone libraryEVERYTHING

Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.